Thursday, December 31, 2009

Today is the last day of 2009 and I still haven't written my resolutions post (sorry about that, it'll be done in the next couple of days).

I do have a FO to share though:

(Sorry about the wet hair)

Pattern:Herringbone Neck Warmer, by Craig RosenfeldYarn: Malabrigo Chunky (YUM!)Needles: US 10 / 6.0 mmMods: I used smaller needles and made it shorter since I was running out of yarn. I stopped knitting at 21” (instead of 28”) and then made the buttonband. I blocked it a little longer but I’m happy I didn’t knit it to 28” or it would have been too long.

This was a very quick knit, even for me. It took a week to knit and that's only because I didn't knit every day. Super easy.

Monday, December 28, 2009

I just finished my Christmas knitting and I already have too much planned for January. See, as you may have noticed already, I love to join KALs and I have planned two of them for the new year.

First, there's the monthly Sockdown challenge, with Sock Knitters Anonymous. January's technique challenge is "texture other than ribbing or beaded socks" and the designer of the month is Nancy Bush (which means you can knit any pattern by Nancy Bush). There will also be a mystery pattern.

I have already chosen a Nancy Bush pattern (rib and cable socks) and I'm really tempted to try the mystery pattern (it's a knit-purl texture pattern with optional beading that I would leave out). So that's two pairs of socks. I would have until the end of February to finish them for them to count towards the challenge, but then February is Ravelympics month and February's sockdown is "Underappreciated Patterns" so I'd like to do it. Hmmmm....

Oh and I mentionned a second KAL. Puck this is having its annual Hat Trick KAL (3 hats in one month) and I had so much fun making hats last year that I sorta wanna do it again this year. Eeeps. I'm not sure I can knit three hats and two pairs of socks. Especially since one of the hats I want to make is made with sock yarn...

Oh and did I mention I also want to finish my Herringbone neck warmer? And maybe knit a shawl/wrap for when it's cold in my office?

Sunday, December 27, 2009

This is the wonderful time of the year, squeezed just between the crazyness that is Christmas and the crazyness that is New Year's Eve (and day, in my family's case). I wish I could take this time to rest, but unfortunately, I have to work tonight, Monday and Tuesday. But then I'll be free until January 4.

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas, if you celebrate it, or just a wonderful day if you don't. I was once again very spoiled, though not with anything wool-related. I had sent a link to my Knitpicks wishlist to the boyfriend, but he didn't use it. But that's all right. I had asked him for a heart rate monitor and I got it, so I'm happy. I also got a gorgeous photography book from my mom, a wok (I needed one badly), a few bottles of wine (always appreciated), gift certificates to Aldo (I need boots), a few Will and Grace DVDs (season 4&5) and much more. I also got to spend the Holidays with my family and Chris' family, which was wonderful. Great food was eaten, good wines were drank and good times were had.

The only not-so-fun thing that happened was that I got too close to a cat and paid the price. See, I'm very allergic to both cats and dogs. Fortunately, I can take Reactine and it really helps with the symptoms. Chris' parents have two cats so I'm always drugged up when I go there (the pills make me sleepy). I love cats and since the drugs worked and I wasn't having any symptoms, I decided to play with one of them a little. Bad bad idea. Somehow, a cat hair got in my eye and it immediately got all swolen. I looked like a boxer that had just lost a fight! It's gotten better since I got home, but it's still a bit swollen. I've never felt so pretty.

Ok, that was a long post. And I don't even have any pictures to share. I hope I didn't bore you too much. I have much more to say (re: startitis. And resolutions), but it'll have to wait. Toodles!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas my love! I hope Santa (or your loved ones) was generous with you and that you all were spoiled as much as you deserve. And please, if you got some wooly goodies, please do share (I'm talking about sharing pics of course! You can keep the yarn all for yourself!)

I want to thank all of you who commented all through the month while I was doing my silly little sock pattern advent calendar. It was fun! Now, here are all the patterns I mentionned during the month. All are linked to their Ravelry page. If you're not on Rav yet... well I guess now is a good time to sign up!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

This is the end, my friends. The end of the Sock pattern advent calendar, that is! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. It made me realize how many beautiful sock patterns I want to make. Too many! I could spend the next 5 years knitting only the socks in my queue and I wouldn't be able to make them all!

Anyways, here's the last one:

December 24

Pattern: Licorice Stick Socks, by Chrissy GardinerLicorice isn't a traditionnal holiday candy, right? It doesn't matter, it's one of my favourites and this pattern is gorgeous! I want!You can find it for sale (6 $ US) in Twist Collective.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas is almost here! Weeeee! I only have one day left to work (I do go back on the 27th though, no week-long vacation for moi!). I brought homemade cookies to the office today and they were a hit. Life is good.

I also have a FO. I'm not 100% happy about it, but it's ok. They definitely look better in person.

The one on the right looks weird! They really do look the same in person, I promise.

Pattern: Having Hope, by Diane MulhollandChristmas is a time for generosity and giving. Proceeds from sales of this beautiful pattern are donated to Cancer Research.You can find it for sale (4,95 $ US) on this page.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Christmas sock status: DONE and blocking! Woohoo! I can't believe I'm done with the Christmas knitting and I can now knit for ME ME and only ME! Don't get me wrong, I love knitting for other people, but everytime I finish my Christmas knitting, all I want to do is knit for myself. I'll have pics of my mom's socks tomorrow.

So, I did go to the LYS with the boyfriend yesterday. He got something for his grandmother and his aunt. And I got a little something for myself.

Malabrigo chunky! Yum. I actually fell in love with a neck warmer I saw at the LYS and I just had to make one for me. (Chris liked it too, he bought the same yarn for his grandma). It's the Herringbone neck warmer. I cast on for it tonight. I'm in love!

December 21Pattern: Spring Cable, by Elinore GrayToday is December 21st, the shortest day of the year. Can you blame me for thinking about spring?You can find it completely free, here.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Christmas sock status: I think I have three pattern repeats left to do on the foot. One pattern repeat takes me a little less than 30 minutes. I think I'll make it ;)

The boyfriend wants to go to a LYS this afternoon to buy some yarn for his grandmother. Of course, I must go with him to help him with that. Will I come back with a little something for myself? We'll see. I'll try to be good.

I had fun taking pictures of our Christmas tree on Friday. I still don't know much about photography, settings and all that so I got funny results. Like this one:

I call it my "Fertility Tree", can you guess why? ;)

I finally managed to take one I was satisfied with.

I also had too much fun with Photoshop, but I like the way this one looks (on my computer. It may look really bad on yours):

Pattern of the day:

December 20

Pattern: Leyburn Socks, by MintyFreshCan you tell I've been looking for patterns that work well with handpainted yarn? That's because I love them, but I don't like it when the pretty colours hide the beautiful pattern. But the Leyburn socks seem to work well with handpainted yarns.You can find it for 0$ on its Ravelry project page.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

I am happy to report that my Christmas shopping is pretty much done. I need to buy some candies for my mom's stocking (I'm in charge of her stocking every year) and a couple of cards, but other than that, I am DONE. And it feels good!

Christmas sock status: The heel has been turned. We are now at the gusset. I'm pretty sure I'll finish it on time.

And now your sock pattern!

December 17Pattern: Lizard socks, by Beate ZächI don't think you can find anything cooler than those socks. Lizards! On socks! You can find it for sale on this page. According to Ravelry, it's available both in German and English, but my German isn't good enough to understand all that's on the store page. I say email the shop owner before you buy to make sure you get the pattern in a language you understand!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Nine days before Christmas and I still haven't turned the heel of my mom's socks. Eeeps!

But I promised you an FO and here it is. I proudly present you my Jaroslav Spasocks!

GO HABS GO!

And now, the pattern of the day:

December 16Pattern: Summer Sliding, by Jeannie CartmelAnother beautiful pattern by Jeannie Cartmel. The only reason I haven't made it yet is because it's a toe-up sock pattern and I like cuff down so much I haven't yet tried a toe-up. Pathetic, I know.You can find it for sale (6,00$) on its Ravelry page.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I know, I know, I promised an FO post, but I completely forgot to take a picture this morning. And today was crazy, crazy, with work, work and more work and then I had an appointment with the optometrist who confirmed that my vision hasn't changed since 1992! I'm slightly far-sighted and I have astigmatism, but it's not too bad. I usually only wear my glasses (or contacts) at work.

Anywayyys. Here's today's pattern!

December 15Pattern: Heart of December, by SpillyJaneI thought the pattern had the perfect name for this month! It's a very pretty one too :)You can find it for sale (6,00$) on this page.

Monday, December 14, 2009

I was telling my coworker this morning about the fact that I spent part of the weekend shopping for gifts, wrapping gifts and putting up decorations. His answer: "Already? Our tree isn't even up yet!"

What do you mean already? Dude, Christmas is in 11 days! I don't think he has realized it yet. Also, good news: this week is my last complete, 5-day week of 2009! I'll be working on the 21, 22, 23, then on the 27, 28 and 29. Other than that I'm off (until January 4th that is).

Ok, so I promised some yarn pics and here they are. It isn't much (only two!), but still, it's yarn.

First, the beautiful laceweight I got from Knit Picks.

Knit Picks Gloss, in Bordeaux. I only photographed one skein, but I got seven of them! I'm thinking of using them to make the Honeybee Cardigan, what do you think? Robyn and Tara tried to convince me to choose this as a Ravelympic project, but I just don't think I can pull it off in two weeks. But we'll see, I may feel crazy adventurous by then.

I also got in my order a set of 2.25 Harmony DPNs (my favourites in the world) and some size 5 Zephyr tips for my interchangeable set. I've tried the nickel-plated tips (love) and the Harmony tips (love) so I figured I might as well try these too.

Laines Magnifiques Champion BFL Superwash Sock, from Robyn's December sock club. I hesitated before purchasing it because I was on a sock yarn diet, but since Robyn is taking a break from her sock club in 2010, I couldn't resist. And I don't regret it, because I love the yarn and the pattern is so pretty! Speaking of which...

December 14Pattern: Possibility, by Robyn GrauerA beautiful pattern that looks good with handpainted yarn (Zeus knows that's not always easy to find).You can find it for 4,95 $ on Ravelry!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Did you see the title of this blog post? I don't want any of you to panick, but there are only ten (10!) days left until Christmas. How is your gift knitting going? I'm pretty optimistic that I'll finish mine in time. My Habs socks are pretty much done. I only have about half the toe + grafting and weaving to do. My guess is that I'll finish it tomorrow during the game. As for my mom's socks, I'm almost done with the leg on sock #2. I can easily do heel + foot + toe in 12 days. Right?

Now, as promised, I got a couple of pictures from yesterday's little knitting meetup with the lovely Tara, Robyn and Kadi. I had such a lovely time. I hadn't knit with other people in a long time and I had forgotten how fun it can be.

Tara and myself, finally meeting for the first time. And yes, it does look like I have a double chin. I shall print this picture and tape it to my alarm clock so I'm always motivated to go to the gym in the morning.

Kadi and Robyn. I hadn't seen them in such a LONG time! And Robyn got us the loveliest gift of beautiful soaps, knitting needles and some DPN Wip tubes. I love everything, thank you so much again Robyn!

(Edited to add: Sorry about the different pic sizes. I had trouble with resizing!)

I also got some yarn. Tara and I's excuse for finally meeting each other was that we shared shipping on a Knitpicks order. I'll show you the yarn tomorrow, but let me tell you, it's beautiful. I also received my Robyn's nest December sock club yarn, which is equally beautiful. I'll post pics of the Knitpicks yarn sometime this week. I don't know if I can post the sock club yarn yet though.

And now, today's pattern!

December 13Pattern: Stashbuster Spirals by Janine HempyThis pattern is great if you have lots of leftover sock yarn and don't know what to do with it.You can find the pattern on this page.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Thirteen days before Christmas. OMG! I may not make it! No. I will make it. Just because I haven't finished my Christmas knitting yet and haven't bought a single gift does NOT mean I won't make it. *breathes*

Ok. I must not think about Christmas today. Today is a grand, magnificent day that started with a great gym session (I love when I feel I've really pushed myself). And this afternoon is THE afternoon where I'll finally get to meet Ms. Tara! AND I will also get to see Robyn, who (whom?) I haven't seen in... forever. So I'm excited. Oh and I'll get new yarn! I promise you pictures.

But in the meantime, here's today's pattern:

December 12Pattern: Better-Than-Booties Baby Socks by Ann Budd.If you still want to knit socks before Christmas, these may be a good option. They're so cute and tiny! Of course, it'll help if you actually know a baby who can wear them (or an adult with freakishly tiny feet, but I don't think it's possible). Or a doll. See, you have options!You can find it in the Summer 2005 issue of Interweave Knits or as a free download here.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Another late late post. I just got home from the movies, Chris and I went to see Brothers and I thought it was very very good. Tobey Maguire was just amazing and Natalie Portman is soooo beautiful.

Anyways, here's the pattern of the day!

December 11Pattern: Nine-to-five socks, by Nicole Hindes.This is exactly my type of socks. Not too complicated, not too simple. And classy. And beautiful. It's been in my queue for a long time and I'm not sure why I haven't made it yet.You can find it for free on this page.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I have a busy busy day ahead of me. First, I really need to go to the clinic for that ear infection of mine (I decided not to go yesterday because of the snow storm). Then, I'll be working all day and after work, we have our office Christmas dinner. So I'm actually writing this post on Wednesday and am trying the scheduled post option. Let's see if it actually works.

Sock pattern advent calendar!

December 10Pattern: Paul Atwell socks, by Emily JohnsonI found this pattern in October, when one of the theme of Sock Knitters Anonymous' Sockdown challenge was to knit socks for men. I think it's simple enough that most men would want to wear them, don't you think?You can find it for sale on this page.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

December 9Pattern: Magic Mirror, by Jeannie CartmelThese socks are not symmetrical, which may drive some people crazy, but I personally like it. The pattern also works really well with handpainted yarn, and that's always a plus!You can find it for free, on Ravelry (check the link above).

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

I have an ear infection (aren't you all happy to know that?). This morning, I finally got the courage to get up early and go to the walk-in clinic. I get there only to see a sign on the door: "Closed on December 8". WTF? I may try to get up early again tomorrow, but apparently we have a snow storm coming our way so we'll see.

Pattern: Kai-Mei, by Cookie A.Anybody who likes to knit socks has admired Cookie's work, right? Her patterns are beautiful and well written so I didn't hesitate one mintue to buy her sock book a few months ago. Sadly, I haven't had time to knit any pattern from it yet, but when I do, it will probably be Kai-Mei. I just love it.You can find the pattern in Cookie A's book, Sock Innovation.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Yesterday I managed to make good progress on my mom's Christmas socks. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to finish sock #1 tonight. Then, I'll have 18 days to knit sock #2 and to knit half a foot + the toe of the second Habs sock. I think I can do that.

Sock pattern advent calendar:

December 6Pattern: Bayerische Socks by Eunny JangYesterday, I gave you simple, today I'm giving you complicated (IMO). I completely fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it a long long time ago. But then I made a pair of Cable Net socks and I decided I needed a long break from socks with tiny cables. I'm still not ready to tackle the Bayerische, but maybe someday.You can find the patternon this page.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

As I'm writing this, "Christmas -20", I realize just how quickly time is going. I need to finish some gifts if I want to make it! Thank Zeus I'm almost done with the "Jaroslav Spasocks". I got a lot done on them last night while watching the beautiful ceremony for the Habs' 100th anniversary. And what a game afterwards! The Habs won 5-1! I was so proud. If only they could play like that all the time...

December 5Pattern: Pillars by Lisa StichwehSometime, simple patterns are the best ones. I looked through the finished objects for this pattern and they're all stunning, no matter what kind of yarn used. You can find it as a free Ravelry download, on the project page.

Friday, December 04, 2009

I'm taking a few minutes between the Habs' 100th anniversary ceremony and the actual game to post today's advent calendar pattern.

December 4Pattern: Holly Christmas Stocking by Annie Woolens.For obvious reasons, I had to include a "Christmas sock" (a stocking is like a big sock, so it counts) in this advent calendar. I think this one is so pretty and I hope to make it someday. For the fast knitters among you, you may have time to make one before Christmas!You can find iton this site.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Today is my birthday! I'm 22 + 10! I had a mix of bad and good today. The good was Indian food for dinner and chocolate birthday cupcakes at work. The bad include the rain, badly isolated windows that left a puddle of water in my living room (and on my brand new camera, thankfully it's not damaged) and the Habs who are losing 0-3 midway through the first period.

December 3Pattern: Double Eyelet Rib Toe-up Socks, by Wendy Johnson.Because it's my birthday, I wanted to choose one of my favourite sock patterns. I've wanted to knit this one for a long time (I even know which yarn I'll use), but I've never made toe-ups before and I feel I'm not going to like it as much as cuff-down. But we'll see. I really want to make them sometime in 2010.You can find it for free on the Ravelry page or here.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Thanks to those of you who commented on my sock pattern advent calendar idea. I'm glad you like it! Hopefully you'll find a pattern or two you want to knit during the month.

December 2Pattern: Eclipse socks by Julie P. Miller.With New Moon (that I haven't seen yet) just out in the theaters, I thought this was an appropriate pattern. But even if you don't like Twilight, I think the socks are pretty.You can find the pattern for free, directly on the pattern page on Ravelry.

---

In other news, I finally bit the bullet and got vaccinated today. Unfortunately, my pressure went way down right after and I almost fainted. I could see myself get paler and paler, I was sweating and dizzy and my legs were shaking. Way to go Caroline! Little kids get vaccinated without a problem and I can't do it without drama. What I got was a vasovagal syncope, that may have been caused by trypanophobia . I actually just diagnosed myself with trypanophobia, but it makes so much sense. I've never been scared of needles, but I'm very uncomfortable with the thought of any kind of injection. The phobia is "an extreme fear of medically related shots/injections" and for at least half of trypanophobes, it's an inherited reflex.

Anyways, the nurse told me I should make sure that if I ever need another vaccine, I need to get it while lying down. I remember when I had the meningitis vaccine in high school, I had the exact same reaction. A few years later I had a tetanos shot but I was lying down when I got it so I was fine.

Haha, that was quite the non-Christmassy post! I guess I needed to share ;)

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

So today is December 1st (unbelievable!) and as Christmas is quickly approaching, I was thinking of what I could do to celebrate on my blog.

And then, I thought... A pattern advent calendar!

Relax, it's not as exciting as it sounds. Since I'm not a designer, I can't give you patterns (sorry!). But I will give you links to my favourite patterns. Sock patterns. Yes, it's a sock pattern advent calendar! And hopefully, you will discover a few patterns that you will want to add to your queue too.

Of course, this brilliant idea came up to me this morning, so I didn't have much time to plan. But I figured I'd have time tonight. But then, the boy called me and said he was given hockey tickets, so I spent the whole evening at the Bell Centre (unfortunately watching the Habs get beaten by the Leafs of all teams!).

So, it's now 11:30 pm and here is my first advent calendar post.

DECEMBER 1

Pattern: Rib and Cable socks by Nancy Bush.I chose this as the first pattern first of all because I think Nancy Bush is a goddess. But also because it will most likely be the next sock pattern I'll make and I figured maybe some of you will want to join me in knitting it (sometime next month).You can find the pattern in Interweave Knits, Fall 2005 or the super overpriced Interweave Knits, accessories 2009.